“destined”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 15:1-4.

“Then the Lord said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go! 2 And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:

“Those destined for death, to death;And those destined for the sword, to the sword;And those destined for famine, to famine;And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’

3 I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.4 I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.” Jeremiah 15:1-4.

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The word “destined” is emphasized in today’s Scripture. I am not sure who put the word in italic font; I did not do it. But, in any event, the word “destined” is repeated four times in verse 2.

And so, we meditate on the emphasis of the word “destined”.

The emphasis of the word “destined” leads us to think about the sovereignty of God.

There are those who are destined for salvation, and there are those who are destined for wrath such as we read in today’s Scripture.

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Thessalonians 5:9.

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him (the beast from the sea), everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.If anyone has an ear, let him hear.If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” Revelation 13:8-10.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In loveHe predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6.

“… In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,” Ephesians 1:10-11.

Even if we neglect meditating on the word “destined”, there is the word “appoint” in verse 3 to lead us to think about the sovereignty of God. “I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord …”

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” John 15:16.

“… for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, aholy nation, a people forGod’sown possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:8-10.

Other doctrine rebels against the sovereignty of God, futilely clinging to the alleged free-will of man.

But, Reformed Doctrine embraces the sovereignty of God, seeing it throughout Scripture.

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,And His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 103:19.